Missouri....and a brief encounter with Illinois....

We were on a bit of a tight schedule for the first week of our holiday as we had to be in Nashville on a particular day to pick up Joshuah, so we were travelling pretty long days. We left Kansas and drove into Missouri stopping along the way to let turtles cross the road and to see a dead armadillo..which I thought was a truck tyre remnant.......so of course we had to do a uie to prove I was wrong (dammit!!). The weather was still really warm and muggy and lots of bugs about.....

We visited the supposed burial site of Daniel Boone.....

before making our way to St Louis to see the famous Gateway Arch that had been built overlooking the Mississippi River.  Someone from Stu's work had told him about it, so we wanted to see it.  Judy Garland has a lot to answer for...it is not pronounced St Lou-eee.....but St Louis (s)- if you speak to a local....so make sure if you are arranging to meet someone in St Louis, you pronounce it right as you may end up not meeting them at all!!!
The arch was huge...

We were at the top of this...inside it!

and we had purchased tickets to go up in it, to the top. I didn't really think about my fear of confined spaces and heights, but perhaps should of...particularly when I got in this tiny capsule with Stu, doors shut, no view, as it climbed higher and higher, inside the arch.....creaking and groaning....

We made it to the top  (630 feet) and it is literally a small area, filled with people, with small windows looking out to the city and across to Illinois. The floor is also arched and when you got out of the capsule, your whole sense of balance had gone and the arch gently swayed...a horrible, horrible feeling....that eventually disappeared as you took in the views.

 We could see a park across the other side of the Mississippi, from the top of the Arch so decided to go and have a look.  We didn't realise that this would mean another visit to a Thrift Shop to buy another number plate...because it meant we crossed over into Illinois!

Driving from Missouri into Illinois...across the Mississippi

The view from Illinois to Missouri...across the Mississippi

 We left Illinois and St Louis after a few hours (not long enough!!) and started to make our way to the next State, overnighting at a town called Licking, in Missouri......where we had a cheap hotel room, but the pool and hot tub to ourselves....